Last Sacrifice
by Purple Fire Dragon
Summary: Rose's friends including her father help her escape jail. Dimitri and Rose fall in love, Rose stays friends with Adrian. Lisa finds her sister and becomes queen. Rose and Dimitri's name is cleared, while the real killer is revealed.
1. Chapter 1

Just before I left the court room, I managed to glance in the direction I had last seen Dimitri. He was staring right at me, teary-eyed. Not sure what I should make of that, but oh well, nothing I could do about it now. He also managed to mouth the words _I am so sorry _and _I won't let anything happen to you_. Great! _Now_ he shows compassion. When I went out of my way, broke so many rules, and committed treason by breaking out Victor in order to get information on how to turn Dimitri back, he was nowhere to be found. Granted he never asked me to do those things and I did it because I loved him so much, but still after I saved him he stated that he "never wanted to see me" and, that "love fades". That's the thanks I got. I was so hurt and now him showing compassion only makes my heart hurt even more. Maybe that is why I chose not to listen to him when he told me to leave him alone because deep down inside I knew that he had feelings about me, but the truth is I probably shouldn't have been so selfish and concentrated on being a guardian.

At this very moment it feels as if my life is over all because I have been so reckless and irresponsible that now I was being accused of murdering the queen. The queen and I had our differences, but I would never have resorted in killing her that is just wrong and doesn't ever solve anything. Granted I have been trained to kill; but I would never in my life use it against a Moroi or another Dhampir, that is just pure evil. Now that Dimitri has been saved I probably wouldn't want to kill a strigoi that had been turned unwillingly, instead I would want them to be saved. The only type of person I would kill would be a moroi who has murdered another and therefore is now a strigoi.

What did I do in my life that deserves this kind of treatment, do I just have that many enemies, who would rather see me dead then see me thrive. I am feel like I am drowning and nothing anyone can do can change that, not even Dimitri, not even myself. Damn-it! I am so confused and for the first time I am actually really scared. I feel so hopeless. I don't know who I can trust and I don't really know if Dimitri actually does care about me or if he is just reacting habitually. I should have been less reckless. Too late now, I guess, the evidence is just too great. I feel so stupid. All my short life I took risks, endangered other people's lives in order to help myself, and doing what I thought was helping others-and especially, keeping my best friend safe. Why do I always open my big mouth? My mouth seems to get me into no end of trouble-especially since threatening Queen Tatiana was part of the evidence they presented in court to prove that I murdered the queen.

I should have just accepted that the love of my life, my soul mate, was lost to me forever when he turned strigoi. True, I would have been completely heartbroken but would have eventually gotten over this heartache. Why didn't I just kill Dimitri when I had the chance? Why didn't I just stay down the right path and be the guardian I was meant to be? No ….wait, I can tell you that. I was stupidly in love and blinded. Love was my driving force and unfortunately I was willing to put others in harm's way all because I wanted to save Dimitri, he was my soul-mate. I have always been like that, reacting before thinking things through.


	2. Chapter 2

What also keeps bothering me is that it's no surprise that, when I visited Rhonda, the tarot card reading she gave was starting to make sense. The first reading she ever gave me and Dimitri also came true. There was definitely hostility, definitely deception, and I definitely had an enemy or multiple enemies. At this point I was unsure who my enemies and who my friends were. At the time I thought one of my enemies was the queen, but not so much now.

I already knew that the Strigoi was my enemy, they were enemies towards many people, but me in particular because according to Dimitri, I pissed off so many Strigoi in my quest to save him, but with all the protection in place at the court it would appear quite impossible for a Strigoi to take revenge by killing the queen in order to punish me. We would have heard that the wards had been broken and something tells me that a lot more people would have been killed, not just the queen.

What didn't make sense was that the guards apparently didn't notice that there was an intruder until she was found dead. Wouldn't the guards protecting the queen have noticed that a crime was taking place? I am sure that the queen would have made some kind of noise that would have alerted them that someone was there other than the queen.

The murder had to have been someone with the ability to make people think they are not actually there or that someone else is doing the crime.

It could not have been a Strigoi because of the wards in place, so it had to be a moroi, which means there is a strong possibility that they were no longer moroi; however, I have witnessed cases where someone had the ability to enter one's mind and manipulate them into killing themselves. Whoever killed the queen would definitely have to have been a moroi with strong abilities.

I have also witnessed those with the ability to mask spirit. Although both Lissa and Adrian can now sense other spirit users, it might still be possible that one still lived among the courts or decided to visit. It is possible that that person got into the queens mind and got her to kill herself.

Whoever the murderer was, it wasn't me.


	3. Chapter 3

The readings also stated that I am supposed to be taking some kind of journey in the near future. What type of Journey? A journey could mean many things. Did that mean that I would make it out alive? Or, did it mean that I was going to go through a realization journey that my life was going to be over and that I would no longer keep the ones I loved so much, safe? I hate this vagueness, which is why I always had a problem accepting readings. Why am I starting to accept them now? Maybe it was because so much of Rhonda's readings had come true, or made sense, and because of my brief encounter with Dimitri's Grandmother Yeva, the witch, when I visited his entire family in Baia.

Regardless of pondering about who killed whom, _it didn't matter._ I was prepared to accept my current fate; however, at the same time, I wasn't ready to die—not if it meant that I could no longer protect the ones I had sworn to protect in the first place. The only solutions I see are either I get executed or I find a way to escape -but how?

Days after the court date seem to just vanish with a blink of an eye. I knew that a major trial was evident and would be commencing in the next several weeks but that is all that I knew, life at the moment was just a waiting period. I got to get out of here.

I was completely lost within my own thoughts. Abe's words "They execute traitors," kept ruminating in my head over and over. I was starting to feel that everyone, except my friends of course, had already made up their minds and trying to sway the court was going to prove impossible.

My guards told me when they brought me back to my cell "_what it is worth, many of us don't believe that you were the one who killed the queen, unfortunately we don't see how we could help you._" Great, that's comforting, knowing that many feel that I am innocent but are afraid to stick up for me. I should have just been more careful and less reckless and protected my reputation.

I made so many mistakes in my life, but never thought I would be accused of murdering the queen let alone sentence to death. That concept just doesn't make any sense. I should have been more in control of my emotions and actions and less reactive. Threatening the queen that she would be sorry about her decision to lower the age of guardianship a few days before her actual murder was probably not such a good idea.


	4. Chapter 4

Like I said, I got to get out of this jail cell, clear my name and find Lissa's lost sibling so that she can have the rights to the throne. I am wondering if the note I received in court was actually written by the dead queen herself, her name was signed but anyone could do that. Was this real, or was it just some sick joke just to make me even more miserable that I was locked in jail and not being able to do what I have been trained to do. My life sucks. Ugh I am so mad at myself; I could just scream or hit something. Like that would do any good, but still that is just how I feel.

"_Roza, are you OK_,_ you're scaring me. You look so withdrawn." _I could never fool Dimitri, he always knew when something was wrong even if words were never spoken.

"_Hey comrade, I guess this is good bye. I know I didn't do anything and apparently, many of the other guardians I have spoken with also feel the same way; however it doesn't matter the courts believe that I am the guilty party, the one they will ultimately execute for being a 'traitor'." _

"_Roza, you know I wouldn't let anything happen to you and neither of your other friends either. We will find a way to get you out of this mess. We will come up with a plan I promise"_

"_Comrade it doesn't matter. I know I need to get out of here but how, and even if I did, wouldn't it make things worse. I am already guilty in their eyes, escaping would just look like another confirmation that I am guilty. If I escape I will always be running always worried about who I can trust not to turn me in. I would never be able to return to my life as a guardianship, not that I will now, but that's beside the point." _

"_Roza, yes it would look bad, but being in jail isn't going to help your case any better than escaping and going into hiding would. At least you would be alive and be able to find ways to prove your innocence and be with the ones you love and want to protect."_

"_Comrade, whereas that would be great, what would happen if I were to get caught what would that do. I will answer that, it would do nothing, and then I would be letting my friends down. I have already done enough damage to them. Anyway the major trial is commencing soon and they will find me guilty as charge and I will be sentenced to death. There is no way to get around this and then there would be nothing anyone could do, not even you." _I started to cry, I really didn't want to die. I was feeling so helpless. I guess Dimitri could sense that.

"_Not if I have anything to do with it." _Dimitri was starting to lose his cool once more and raising his voice to the point that the Guards, keeping a close eye on me, started to shift their bodies as if they were preparing to remove him at any given moment if things got out of hand. How funny is that? Never thought that would ever happen. I mean that sort of thing always seemed to happen to me. I was the one who deeply struggled to stay in control, who always let my emotions guide my actions. I was the reckless one; I still am, but not him. Not Dimitri, Dimitri who prior to turning into a Strigoi and then back again, had always been revered as a God by everyone. Granted that Dimitri struggled to stay in control, but he was able to hide this Façade


	5. Chapter 5

Prior to the incident in the café, he made it abundantly clear that he didn't want me anymore and didn't love me anymore so I am confused as to why he cared now. What has gotten in to him? Why is he doing this? Why is he risking his own future? I don't think he has been completely cleared to return to guardianship and if he continues this behavior he will never be able to return. Maybe he just doesn't want to return especially if he has lost faith in the system, like I am starting to.

I wonder if this new profound difficulty to stay in control was a direct result of being turned back into a Dhampir from a Strigoi, because it appears that he is having to learn all over again how to stay in control.

Like I said before he had always been this intense when he felt so strongly about something or someone, which is partly why I loved him so much and why I still do but he always managed to stay somewhat in control of his reactions. As of late he has been much more trigger happy then usual which is what triggered my concern. Ugh why does he have to affect me so profoundly? Now that I think about it, ironically he was becoming much more like me and less like him, whatever it was I tried to get a hold on the situation. He needed to calm down or he would attract negative attention and that would not be good.

"_Calm down comrade, geez you need to get a grip on yourself. I agree I can't do anything useful while I am locked up but I also believe that escaping would prove futile." _

Dimitri was still showing some signs of being angry, but I could visibly see that he had started to calmed himself down just enough that made the guards relax ever so slightly, but he only started calm down because I made him aware of his behavior. Is this how it's going to be like? I help him stay within control, when it had always been the other way around._ "Roza, like I said before, nothing is going to happen to you, not if I have anything to say about it. You didn't murder Tatiana, and therefore I will do anything to make sure that you are safe. I will always be there to protect you no matter what the cost is. You have my word on that. At this point I don't want to return to guardianship, not after how they treated me when it was clear that I was no longer strigoi or treated you for that matter." _

What is he saying to me? He just told me not to long ago that love fades and that he doesn't want me around, yet now he is saying that he would always be there to protect me. What the hell.

"_Dimitri what are you saying to me. Are you telling me in so many words that you still do love me? Because if you are great timing don't you think, when I will be executed soon." _

Dimitri just realized what he said and blushed. I never saw him do that before, it was kind of funny._ "Roza, I guess I shouldn't go on pretending anymore, now that I can't seem to control my emotions as well as I use to. You seem like the only one that seems to help me stay in control. So, yes Roza I do still love you and I will always love you but that is also a problem. My love for you almost cost me my life, because I hesitated during a fight and got turned into a Strigoi, granted I am saved now, but the point is that I shouldn't have been careless; I shouldn't have been so distracted. I thought that, after being saved I wouldn't allow you to make the same mistakes and that is partly why I wanted you to stay away and move on with your life, but unfortunately I can't just stand by while you are being wrongly accused. You are not going to be executed Roza, I won't let that happen and once you are freed I will never push you away again_" Tears began to run down both of our cheeks. I guess he did love me, or at least cared deeply about me.

Unfortunately it was my turn to be the grown up, the reasonable one. I hate when that happens. Now it was my turn to get angry but for some reason I stayed within control. This role reversal was almost comical._ "Dimitri I have always loved you, and still do but like I said before I really don't see there is anything anyone can do, my life is over, you still have a chance to regain guardianship. I screwed up Dimitri and now I will have to live with my consequences. Even if I am exonerated for this crime, I don't feel like I would ever be truly accepted into being a guarding anymore, my reputation is completely tarnished." _

"_Roza, don't think that way. I will find a way to get you out, your friends will find away, I promise_. Everything will be ok" I couldn't take this anymore; I hate seeing him this way, and despite how much pain he caused me lately, it still hurt seeing him acting this way. I still loved him. Its funny I was so willing to risk my life to save him, but now that the tables have been turned I didn't want him to ruin his life.

"_Dimitri, are you listening to me, I know that I am innocent but what good does that do if I am going to be blamed anyway. Nobody cares Dimitri; they are only interested in using me as a scapegoat. Everyone other than maybe you or maybe my friends sees me as expendable and even if they believe me they are unwilling to challenge the courts. As much as it pains me to say this, just leave me alone. Nothing can be done, I will ultimately be lost to the world."_

All that he could do was shake his head and bite his lip so that he wouldn't get so angry again and cause more problems for the both of us. Instead of continuing the conversation he started walking away however, he did manage say this. "_Roza, I am not going to leave you alone. I will find away to save you, you will see. Your life is not lost_. _Don't start thinking this way_. " Before I could protest he was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

After Dimitri left, one of the guards came over to see if I was ok. I must have looked really sad or something. Well the truth is I was sad. The whole situation was so screwed up and unreal. Anyway I couldn't remember this guards name because lately there seemed to be new guards all the time. I guess they didn't want to stay very long or maybe it was because it was too hard to fathom me being locked up for a crime I didn't commit.

"_Rose, are you OK? I know it's a tough situation to be in, but I am confident that things will get better soon at least I hope things will get better soon. I just hope they won't end of executing you because that would be a shame. You were and still are an excellent guardian for your age. You are also a good person. You may be reckless at times and do things without thinking, but that is part of what makes you such an extraordinary person. I know you didn't do it. Anyway, I truly believe that you will pull through this." "Um thanks, I guess._ _Anyway I would like to be alone now and take a nap, I am really exhausted. Do you mind?" "Sure no problem, take care Rose."_ The guard went back to his post, while I walked back to the end of my cell where the bed was located and laid down.

After a while I found myself pulled into my best friend's mind. I haven't been able to see her as of late being locked up and I missed her very much. She is my bond-mate. "_Oh hey rose, I was just thinking about you." _That startled me I wasn't expecting her to recognize my presence, but I should have expected this sooner or later. Our bond, despite the minor interference during the Dimitri savior mission, our bond has gotten stronger._ "Hey Liss, I guess this bond thing is no longer one way. Anyway I miss you, and haven't talked to you in a while." "I know Rose, the guards won't let me in to see you, God knows I have been trying for days. I haven't resorted to using compulsion yet, but I was very close to going down that road, if you hadn't come to visit me this way. I haven't figured out how to visit your mind yet." "Liss at this point I wouldn't have minded if you did, I miss you so much." _

"_Rose, I can't stand that you are locked up for a crime you didn't commit. I don't want you to die. You are my best friend and I need you. I need to make sure that you will be OK and that you are safe." "I know Liss, I hate this too. I need to get out of this cell, but I just don't see how." "Rose, I will find a way for you to get out. All of your friends will." "Thanks, that's what Dimitri, said to me." "Huh. What. how do you know this?" "Yeah well, Dimitri came to see me today." "How did he get into see you? I thought they weren't letting anyone in to see you." "That's what I thought too, but apparently he was the only one who has been able to see me." "Dimitri must still have some guardian friends who are still willing to bend the rules a little bit for him or maybe because they feel sorry for you and know how much you cared about him. What did he say to you?" "I don't think Dimitri has any guardian friends anymore so I think its because the guards feel sorry for me. They figure since they can't let you in or Adrian in they would let Dimitri in, since he wasn't at risk of getting hurt by me. Not that I would ever harm you or Adrian. Anyway he said that he loved me for one thing and that he would do anything to make sure that I was safe. He also said he won't let anything happen to me." _

"_I know that you would never hurt me this whole thing is ridiculous. Anyway, that's great Rose, I always knew he still loved you despite what he said about not wanting to see you. Maybe he just thought it would have been best for you in the long run, if you moved on and that it would be less distracting if you too weren't together, but now maybe he is starting to realize that pushing you away is much more detrimental to either of you. You too have been through a lot. Granted that guardian to guardian relationships has always been a taboo among the guardians and the moroi, but the truth is you cannot always choose who you fall in love with. Sometimes you just have to follow your heart and make some sacrifices. I know I would probably do the same thing if I were in your shoes. Heck I made my own sacrifices being with Christian. I think you and Dimitri deserve and need each other." "Thanks Liss, I would like to believe that we are meant to be together and yes that is why he pushed me away in the first place, but now he is starting to loose faith in the whole system because of how they treat him and are now treating me. Right now I am worried about you guys though, especially Adrian. I know that he is taking this the hardest being that it was his aunt that was just killed. How is he by the way?" _

"_Well, you know Rose. He is down this destructive path again, more so this time. Every day he seems more and more depressed, not so much that his aunt is dead; but that he is worried that you will not be OK and that he will never see you again. He doesn't understand why they won't let him see you, he doesn't think that you are a danger to him. He is angry at the system as well, for treating you like that and keeps telling everyone that we all need to do something about this and get you out, and if something isn't done soon, he was going to take matters into his own hands. Although he still loves you or should I say is still infatuated with you Rose, he doesn't care anymore whether or not you two have a intimate relationship he just wants you to be safe and alive. He has been drinking a lot, too much actually. Just the other day he was found passed out in a drunken stupor just outside the jail. The two guards on duty at the front end of the jail had to radio for other guards to carry him back home. Other days he has been moping around the court when he isn't drinking. He isn't himself at all. All of us have been trying to comfort him and tell him that we will not stop until you are safe and your name is cleared. That seems to help a little, but not much."_

"_Geez I hate that I put him through this much pain. I care about Adrian a lot and don't want him to suffer. Just tell him that for me the next time you see him and that I agree that something does need to be done in terms of getting me out, however I don't want him to be reckless. Look where that got me." _

"_OK, Rose I will tell him that but I am not sure when it is I will see him, I have been struggling myself to stay sane, this is hard on me too. Anyway, I should go visit Dimitri today, and see if I could offer any help in his plan making. I should involve others as well, but I don't think Adrian is capable at the moment to help, he is a complete mess. We all have been trying to get in to see you, but have been unsuccessful, Dimitri has been the only lucky one so far." _

"_Thanks Liss, but I really don't want too many of you to be involved, especially if you have something to lose, or might get hurt in the process. Personally I hate involving you too because you have a lot to lose, but I understand if you want to help. I have already done too much to you all." _

"_Don't worry about me Rose, I want to do this, I have to do this. You are my best friend and I too won't let anything happen to you. You have always done the protecting now its my turn to return the favor. Screw the consequences or the risks Rose, all of your friends, including myself, are willing to look past them and do whatever it takes in order regain your freedom and your reputation. Trust me none of us will let anything happen to you. We would all die before we let anything happen to you, I promise." _I cringed at the last part. The last thing I wanted was for my friends to die in order to save me._ "Ok, Liss, you don't have to be so dramatic, but thanks, I appreciate that you all care about me so much. I was beginning to worry when no one came to see me. I was unaware that it was being prevented. It is true, I would and have done the same for you guys too." "You're welcome Rose, now go and get out of my head so that I can go visit Dimitri and get something accomplish. And Rose, try not to enter my head for a while, it's for your own safety I want to make sure that everything goes as planned." "Ok Liss, I promise I won't. Bye." _when I faded back into my own head, I started to feel some thread of hope that everything will be OK, no matter what the outcome may be. I just hope that my friends and I make it out alive, after all this.


	7. Chapter 7

OK I know I promised Lissa that I wouldn't enter her head and snoop but I just couldn't help it. I was so bored with my current surroundings that I just needed a change of scenery and feel that I was a part of something instead of just sitting out waiting for others to devise a plan. It just wasn't in my nature to just sit around, while others worked. _"Rose, get out my head. You promise." _"_Rose?_" I guess Dimitri heard her say that out loud. A confused look came over Dimitri's face. I guess he too wasn't expecting this two way bond thing either. _"Sorry Dimitri, Rose just seems to not listen when she is told not to butt in. She is here with us right now through our bond." "Oh" _is all Dimitri could say at the moment_. "Hey Dimitri maybe Rose will listen to you more than she will listen to me right now. She really does need to let things go, we will handle everything. Here just talk to me as if you were talking to her since she is listening and is seeing everything through my eyes." _"_Roza, I know you're worried and want to take charge but please this would work a lot smoother if you were unaware of the plan. I love you very much and will see you very soon I promise."_ Just then I sighed. I couldn't argue with him, the man that I loved so much. He has that effect on me. Lissa knew that. "_OK, Liss tell him I love him too and this time I will do my best to stay out of it." "That's OK Rose, I will tell him." "Tell me what?" "Rose just wanted to tell you that she loves you._" Just then I saw a smile come over him. "I love you too Rose, but you do have to go." With that I left her mind once more. A thread of relief swept over me, at least now I could actually see that two of my friends were actively working and could be trusted.

I didn't realize that I had fallen asleep until I found myself looking at a different surrounding than I have been use to seeing in my jail cell. I found myself sun bathing on a beach looking up at a cloudless sky, under an umbrella wearing a bikini. This was Adrian's doing, not mine, but why was he dressing me in such skimpy clothing. Ugh I hate this, I feel so naked in this bikini. I much rather have been dressed in a little more than just a bikini but oh well. The truth is I was happy that I was going to be able to see him again, even if I had to subject myself to his fantasies during these strange visits. He couldn't see me in reality so this place was as good as any place at the moment. At least it permitted me to temporarily escape my mundane surroundings. Just then I heard his footsteps walking towards my direction and getting ready to sit down next to me.

"_Oh hey, little Dhampir" "hey, Adrian, it's nice to see you again, but why did you dress me in a bikini?" "Well I haven't seen you in a long time and I just wanted to picture you in some sexy outfit. You know me." _ Adrian gave me a devilish smile and my eyes narrowed. _"Yes I know you all too well don't I. Despite being subjected to this, I am actually glad that I am able to see you. I heard that you are not doing so well." "How did you here this, no one is allowed to see you not even me." "Well that isn't exactly true, Dimitri came and saw me today, and I spoke with Lissa through our bond later that day as well." "Go figure Dimitri would be able to manipulate the system, but that is beside the point. How are you able to have a two-sided conversation with Lissa through the bond, I thought it was just one way_." I shook my head I guess he still feels some jealousy towards Dimitri. It's kind of funny actually._ "Well that's what I thought too, until I heard her saying hi. She can not only feel my presence she can also talk to me. It's kind of a new concept for me too, but a convenient way to communicate, since we can't visit each other in person. It also ensures secrecy. No one can over hear us, unless we answer out loud." _

"_Why did it take so long for you to come visit me this way_?" "_I know It has been a long time, little Dhampir. Well with all my drinking I kind of had trouble using my magic. For a while there I completely eradicated my abilities to do anything really because I was always in a perpetual drunken stupor." "Oh yea, I heard about one of those escapades. Why are you doing this to yourself? You of all people need to protect yourself, seeing that there is still a killer on the loose." "Huh, how did you find out of that… oh never mind, I know the answer to that, Lissa told you didn't she." _

A smile came over me. _"Yes she told me, she was worried about you, and besides I asked her about you because I was worried too." "I know little Dhampir I should be more careful with this self medicating habit I got going, but I was just so depressed especially since the guards have been preventing me from seeing you. You keep me sane. Also I have been worried about the fact that they execute traitors. I don't want you to die. You are too precious to me. What makes me even angrier is that everyone knows that you couldn't possibly have killed my aunt, yet they won't do anything about it. This sucks. You need to be out of jail. I have to find a way for you to be safe." _

"_Adrian calm down, listen to me, I know I have to get out here, but try not to do anything reckless. Dimitri said that he was going to devise a plan and then when I told Lissa about it she decided that she was going to help as well. Don't tell Lissa I told you this, but she feels that, although she wants you to help with the mission, she feels you are at the moment unable to, because of this destructive behavior and inability to use magic constantly. Besides it is probably better if you are not involved, I don't want you to get in more trouble then you already have been for associating with me. You know how your family feels about me, they hate me. The less you are involved the better." _

"_I know little Dhampir, your right I haven't been functioning well at all; but, lately I have been trying to fix that because I want you safe. I just now barely been able to use my magic, which is why I am dream walking with you now. Also about my family, not all of them hated you, they just didn't understand our relationship. Also I don't care if I get in more trouble I want to be involved. If I keep myself sober I know I can be helpful in getting you out and freed. Just hang in their little Dhampir. I will go and talk with Lissa and ask her myself if she is going to do anything about getting you out of jail. if she says that I am not able to do things I will then plead with her that I need to help you escape and that I will work hard to stay sober so I have use of my magic again. I just want you safe and alive." _Just then he reached over and gave me a huge hug and a kiss on my forehead. _ "Little Dhampir I miss you so much." _Before I could say good bye or protest about him going to see Lissa, Adrian returned me to my dreams only I didn't go back to dreaming because I was startled awake by some commotion that was happening just outside my jail cell.


	8. Chapter 8

It was Abe. Good ole Abe to the rescue. I saw Abe talking very loudly to the Guards and handing them what appeared to be an official letter. One of the Guards was saying "_Sorry Sir, We cannot honor this letter without first verifying the authenticity of this document, especially if this letter was handed over by you and not by an official messenger of the court_. _You have ties with Rose, not with Queen Tatiana. Another thing is, this note was signed by the dead Queen herself. That is impossible. How could she have known ahead of time that Guardian Rose Hathaway was going to be accused of her murder or that she knew that someone was out to get her?, Sir that just doesn't make any sense. Surely you understand.__"_ _"Oh I understand your procedures perfectly, more than you probably, Guarding, what is your name…Oh never mind, your name is unimportant at the moment; however, there is no time, Rose must be released at once_. _This document was given to me and I assure you its official. Although the queen herself didn't provide me this document, shortly after the trial I was instructed to go and retrieve this letter in order to help Rose Hathaway. Guardian Rose Hathaway is needed elsewhere and should be released into my custody as soon as possible; otherwise there will be consequences to pay." _What another letter from the queen. Knowing him it had to be a fake. How strange. Unless she truly was aware that she was in trouble, and that by big mouth would no doubt make me the prime and only suspect.

Unfortunately the guardians were starting to get annoyed with Abe's inability to follow the courts procedures and they were skeptical that this was an official notification, and Abe was also upset because he couldn't achieve his current agenda. It didn't matter if they agreed that I shouldn't be in here or wanted to truly believe that this letter was legitimate, but the guardians would not stand down because they were fully committed to their duty and they wanted the court to verify the letter first before acting on the note. "_Fine there will be consequences to pay for your lack of compliance I assure you." _It is never good to threaten someone, why was Abe threatening this guardian. We are truly related we are so much alike.

When the guards opened the door for him to leave the jail, I heard another familiar voice. It was Lissa. She had been standing in the front of the jail, trying to come in to see me, but when she saw that Abe was there, she immediately decided that she needed to discuss things with him.

"_Abe wait I need to talk to you, please it's important."_ _"Princess Dragomir, I don't have time for chit chat, I am a busy man you know. The guardians won't release Rose from her jail cell, even after I presented them with an official note; however, in most circumstances it's always a pleasure to see you." "Abe, I am aware of the urgency; however I am requesting a meeting with you I assure you it's important." "OK, Princess, I guess I can make a few minutes for you. Lets go over here where we won't be over heard by these other guardians." _He was glaring at the guards to make sure that they understood not to eavesdrop. They also didn't want me to eavesdrop either. _"Guards I will be back to have a word with you again. I will also try and provide you with additional proof." _All they could do was nod in compliance.

Lissa and Abe's Conversation_: "OK Lissa, now spill it and make it quick." "Ok here it is, all of us are planning a rescue mission because we have as much invested in her as you do. May I see this note that you tried to present to the guardians? I am her best friend and I want to know everything that pertains to her." _Abe handed over the note, deciding that her friends did have a right to see the note. _"Abe, are you serious, this note is written by the Queen herself, dated prior to her death. Is this a will? It also states that I have a sibling and that Rose can't help me if she is locked up. I thought I was the last Dragomir when my parents were killed. Is this true? If it is true then I can have a place on the panel and then vote; however, that wasn't the Queen's intention was it. According to this she wanted me to be the next Queen if anything were to happen to me. Either way if this is true, Abe, someone else must have known this, because why else was Rose being accused. Someone truly didn't want me to have a seat in court, or eventually become Queen myself when the Queen retired. Abe you should get it this verified officially, even if you have to go through mounds of red tape. Because this process will take a long time, I think in the mean time we should find a way to help Rose, while this gets cleared up." _

_"Yes, Lissa you do have a sibling, do you see why I was trying to get Rose out. I was trying to not only help my daughter but to help you too, seeing that both of you are best friends and share a bond. The Queen shouldn't have died, but since she did a lot needs to be changed in order to return things the way it was meant to be. Yes I agree, I feel that someone else must have known about this too, because having Rose in Jail and framed for a murder she didn't commit is also denying you, your birthright. You must both have a common enemy or enemies. Besides these guardians are a lot more difficult to persuade, so it's a waste of time to keep going down this path. We just don't have that much time with the pending trial scheduled. At the moment I don't have any other plan, but since you seem to have one, what is it, I am listening." _

_"Abe, why don't you meet up with us in a couple of hours, let's say in my room I can use magic to ensure that no one can eavesdrop. Discussing things further and out in the open isn't safe anymore many people can't be trusted and besides I am not the only one involved in the plan, so I need everyone involved to be present during this meeting." "That sounds good to me Lissa; however, let's make it in 15 minutes, the quicker we save Rose, the better." "Ok Abe, 15 minutes it is, I will tell the others to be there to. See you in a few" _

_As _Abe walked back to the guards, I heard his voice again and saw him come into view. Not sure what the two discussed but I am sure it had to do with my pending escape route. The sound of the words escape was music to my ears.

"_Guards, I will be back, with the court's approval of this note. In the mean time I don't want you to do anything without notifying me first. If Rose Hathaway is summoned to trial earlier than expected, please delay her as long as possible. Do you understand?" _

_"Yes Abe, we will notify you of anything and try our best to delay her departure for whatever reason but we can't guarantee that delaying will be completely possible. We serve the court not you, not Rose." _

_"Ok, fine. I need to do some research and ask a few questions with whoever is temporarily taking the place of the Queen. There is a strong possibility with the funeral tomorrow that Rose's court date will be pushed up to an earlier time like later tonight and because it appears that everyone just wants to do away with her, so that they can just grieve for the loss of the Queen and not worry that there is a killer on the loose or is currently locked up. I want to get this letter fiasco straightened out before we go to trial. This letter will postpone the trial indefinitely for Rose and restore the balance in this screwed up system, do you understand?"_ "_Yes, we understand perfectly sir._" Abe was using his own intimidating charm I guess because they no longer wanted to argue.

He then turned his attention on me._ "Hey Rose, just hang tight everything will be taken care of as soon as possible, and if these Guardians do not comply with my wishes, I give you permission to do whatever it takes to delay things a bit, even if means fighting them._" Just then he winked at me. I guess that was code for we will get you out as soon as possible, hopefully before trial and that he was doing his best to hide the fact that I was going to escape soon. Besides, if my friends had to rescue me during my decent to the court room it would attract a lot more attention; but if I decided to fight back, at least it would delay and give them time to rescue me without drawing too much attention. I would still be in the jail cell not on my way to the court room. _"OK, Abe__. I will do that if I have no other choice. I trust your judgment."_ With that he left the jail and I was left alone with just the guards, who by the looks of it looked a little annoyed by Abe and also confused because they didn't understand anything He and I discussed.


	9. Chapter 9

I finally was able to get good nights sleep and fortunately the trial was rescheduled to commence after the funeral instead of before like it was originally planned. I guess Abe, or maybe someone else was able to postpone the trial until after the funeral. The next day I was still thinking about that official notification that Abe was trying to give the guards and wondering what my friends were planning because, although it frustrated me to stay out of Lissa's head I finally kept my promise. Besides, I am sure Lissa would have found away to block me from entering anyway since she was using magic to block others from eavesdropping. Dimitri had come and visited me again before I fell asleep to let me know that so I assumed this would affect me too.

After pondering a bit, I was jostled back to reality when two guards approached me. I recognized them both; one of them was Alberta from St. Vladimir Academy and the other one was my mother, Janine Hathaway. What was Alberta or my mother doing here; I thought they had other obligations that took them away from the court. Then it occurred to me, that they must have been given permission to visit the court in order to repay their respects to the dead Queen's family, but nevertheless I was curious as to why they were approaching my jail cell and to why they were the only guardians present at this time.

Typically I had at least five guardians guarding my cell and then two more who guarded the entrance, just outside the jail. The court thought they had to have this many guards because I was a major threat to everyone. When they made their final decent and were standing directly in front of my jail cell, I shook off my confusion and said "_Hi Alberta. Hi mom. Not that I mind seeing you too here, but I am curious as to why you are here, is it to repay your respects to the dead Queens family or is it to lecture me about getting myself in this much trouble. Also are you my guards for the day?" _

"_Rose we are not here to repay our respects to the dead queen's family and we are not here to lecture you, besides Abe sent us. In case you were wondering the reason why there are no guards here today, it's because everyone is at the funeral. With all the guardians attending they figured you would be safe alone seeing that no one would be available to help you and they thought you couldn't possible escape_." Before I could comment on what I just learned, Alberta unlocked my jail cell.

When I was on the same side as they were, Alberta closed and locked the jail cell. My mom approached me and gave me a hug, which I wasn't expecting at all and then instead of letting go just yet, I felt her grab my hand and place a ring on one of my figures. In response I looked down and noticed that she too had a similar ring and so did Alberta. Then she leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"_Rose, I am sure you just figured we are not who we appear to be; We decided to use your mom and Alberta as the perfect disguises because they were are on leave and heading towards the court, but were delayed on purpose temporarily. The guard guarding the front entrance of the court was charmed into forgetting promptly that we had entered the premises, so he is still expecting their arrival. They are now expected to arrive tomorrow for your trial"_ All I could do was nod while she continued to speak.

"_As soon as the funeral commenced, I went over there and I used compulsion to persuade one of the guards to hand over the keys to the jail and then I promptly made them forget that he ever did that or that I was ever there._ _In case you were wondering our identities_, _I am actually Oksana and Alberta is actually Mark. Your friends our waiting for you in the garage but we must hurry. Oh and your identity is Karolina _Belikova_._ _In the event that you are spotted you are to tell them this and that you traveled this far to visit Dimitri after you heard that he had been saved and was not longer dead. You are also to say that when you heard that Rose was in trouble you went to visit her. Don't worry about explaining who we are, we will take care of that."_

"_I missed you and it is strange playing Dimitri's sister, but I guess it's a good enough disguise as any. Ok let's go."_

"_Hey Rose, these charms are much__ more powerful and last longer. I made them myself. Because they do eventually fade when you get a chance you must remove the charm and only use it when you need to hide your identity_."

We got to the garage and thankfully I wasn't spotted, so I didn't have to explain who I was to others. I was also very happy to see my friends. My friends quickly gave me a hug and told me that they were happy to see me too. I was wondering how they all were able to escape the funeral because everyone except for me was required to attend, but then Lissa told me that she used compulsion on everyone. I hated when she did that, because it put strain on the both of us but today I was proud.

I am not sure how she was able to persuade that many people, but then she told me that Adrian and Oksana amplified her powers temporarily by way of charms. She told everyone that they were to let Abe, Dimitri, her, Adrian, Eddy, and Christian leave the funeral and then forget that they ever left and instructed not to go looking for them, if they weren't spotted again at the funeral. Once the funeral was over, Lissa persuaded everyone to also believe that all of them went back to their own rooms and were not to be disturbed, no matter what. Lissa also told me that Oksana and Mark weren't expected to attend the funeral or be at the court at all so when they arrived and Oksana persuaded the guard on duty at the entrance to forget that they even entered the premises. Lissa told me that all of them had to where charms in order to block the effects of the amplified magic. Abe was already at court because he was my representative, and to keep up appearances and to deter anyone from thinking that he was involved in my escape he decided to attend the funeral, even if it was only for a brief moment.

"_Hey Liss, So what's the plan?" "You will see Rose, in the mean time we got to go"_ Geez she was now using my own lines on me. "_Ok, Liss, let's go then."_ I then turned towards Adrian. "_Hey Adrian."_ Adrian gave me a hug and then a kiss on the forehead. _"Hey little Dhampir. As you may have guessed I won't be able to come with you because of my ties with the dead queen and because all of us felt that when they notice that you are gone they might fear the worse. I came here though to make sure that everything goes as plan and to say goodbye. I will be the only one who actually does go back to their room." _He said the last part with a smile and then he turned towards Dimitri.

"_Dimitri, take care of Rose, she is very precious to me and I still love her very much but I am man enough to realize that both of you are meant for each other at least for now anyway." _Dimitri nodded and then Adrian looked back at me. _"Ok little Dhampir its good bye for now." _He gave me one last hug and then he walked away and headed back to his sleeping quarters without looking back. This must have been hard on him.

"_Hey Zemy, thanks" "Hi Rose, don't thank me yet, we are not quite out of the woods. We must quickly get you out of the gates before anyone suspects that you have left or any of you for that matter and tighten up the security around here_. _They will surely notice your absence once the funeral is over and everyone goes back to their normal routines. The funeral is expected to conclude soon."_

Then I noticed Lissa had an apologetic look upon her face while she spoke. _"Ok Rose, I know you are not going to like it but you and Dimitri are going to have to travel in the trunk, while Me, Eddy, Christian, Oksana, mark, Abe and his guardians take a seat in the van. Both of you attract attention, so we wanted to eliminate that possibility. Once you are in the trunk you may remove the charm so that the charm will last longer, but when we arrive at our destination you must put the charm back on. Dimitri has one too, so that they won't know that he escaped as well. I have to use magic again once I am at the gate." _Now this will be strange. I hated the first time I had to be there but oh well at least I wasn't alone. "_Roza, shall we."_ Dimitri opened the trunk and helped me inside and then he climbed inside while one of Abe's guardians closed the truck for us.

After Dimitri and I were crammed into the trunk, Abe got into the driver seat, next to one of his guards, Lissa, Eddy and Christian squeezed into the back seat with the rest of Abe's guards. At least this time the truck was pretty huge so I was able to stretch. It was also nice to be able to cuddle with Dimitri again. I needed to be comforted.

Through our bond Lisa was able to tell me that we were to remain in the trunk until we reached our first unknown destination. I had no clue as to where we were going. Our first obstacle happened when we reached the front gates of the court. The guard on duty spoke first. "Mr. Mazur, whereas you are usually allowed to come and go by yourself, the others you have with you are not yet authorized to leave. Besides with their being no guards watching your daughter's cell at the moment, no one is allowed to leave until after the funeral. May I take a look at your trunk; this would be the perfect opportunity for Rose to escape, especially when no one was watching her and if she had help. My heart stopped, I thought we were all about to get caught, but then Lissa immediately used compulsion. "_You are going to let us leave and then forget that you ever saw any of us do you understand_, _to you and everyone else we are still at the funeral."_ It seemed like it took forever for the guards to subside to her compulsion power but then the guard finally nodded and opened and closed the gates when we were a safe distance and could no longer be seen or heard—All of sighed in relief that we were that much closer to freedom.


	10. Chapter 10

We arrived at our first destination, Abe went around and unlocked and opened the trunk. Dimitri got out and then he helped me get out. When I was safely on the ground he refused to let go of my hand. I immediately recognized where we were. We were at the airport but at the location where only private planes took off and landed. It was for the most part deserted probably something that Abe arranged ahead of time. There were just two planes and two human pilots. At this location I was made a privy to the rest of the plan, unfortunately I was going to be temporarily separated from Lissa.

Everyone helping me said it was a necessary measure in case they were to spot her and take her back to the court. They wanted to ensure that I safely escaped. We were to meet up as soon as they accomplished their part of the plan, which was to locate Lissa's lost sibling. Eddy was going to be assigned Lissa's temporary guarding as well as Pavel, one of Abe's guardians, Christian chose not to get one. They assured me that they would keep Lissa safe from any pending danger. They also told me that they would fight other guardians and or Moroi in order to get back to me. That part I wasn't too thrilled about but, agreed nonetheless.

Abe told me that he wasn't going to go with them either, but he would stay in contact with both them and me and then meet up with us as soon as everything is put into motion. I was to go with Dimitri and stay put until everything was done, something that I wasn't prepared to do or use to doing. Staying put and doing nothing was just not in my nature. I was so use to doing things for everyone else that it was strange that I was the one who had to sit around waiting for something to get done.

It wasn't until we got on the plane, when I when I found out where we were going to go for a while.

"_Roza, you are not going to like where we are going. This is going to bring up some bad memories for the both of us. I wasn't too thrilled myself about the location, but Abe and everyone else thought this would be the best place for us to stay and the safest and the most remote place." _

"_No, don't tell me, we are going to be in __Novosibirsk and stay in that awful castle, the very place where you captured me, __while you were a Strigoi." _

Pain swelled up in his eyes at that very moment, most likely rehashing the horrible acts he had done to me while being Strigoi.

"_Yes Roza, that is exactly where we are staying, only this time it will be different." _

"_What about the other Strigoi isn't there a strong possibility that they would still be there and reclaim the location and get us both killed not to mention harm the others who will be meeting us there."_

"_Abe took care of that, we arranged that there would be other guards stationed there to protect us that are working for him, and wards put into place to keep out the Strigoi. I won't let anything happened to you, me or any of our friends. We will be safe. Besides going back to the scene of the crime will help us both heal at least that is what other's have been telling me" _

"_I am not going to like this but ok, I can see how this could work. I have one question though, how are we going to get there, seeing that it's in the middle of nowhere and behind a large labyrinth." _

"_Abe told me that the labyrinth is still there but we are to land right outside the labyrinth and then walk through it towards the house. The wards will be stationed around the entire area of the labyrinth as well as around the house. The protection is going to be even better than what you would get for the schools or the court. No one will be able to detect this place or be able to get in. More precautions were made just encase the wards were to break. Abe wanted to ensure our safety." _

We arrived just before dawn and Sydney was there to greet us and let us know that everything was set up for our arrival. What was destroyed was repaired and the holding cage that I had been forced to stay in had been removed. In fact if you were a stranger looking in you would think it was just an ordinary castle with several rooms. Sydney said her goodbuys and told me that soon others will arrive. With that she got onto the plane and took off to her next destination, which was some place unknown.

"_Roza are you ready." _

"_As ready as I ever will be I guess_."

Dimitri took my hand as we descended through the labyrinth together as Dhampir. I didn't recognize any of the guards and neither did Dimitri but I had to trust that my Father Abe would not let me down. I also noticed that some of them were humans, most likely alchemists, seeing that Alchemists were the only ones that worked with the moroi or Dhampir, but then again I wasn't completely sure. This was going to be very strange.

The first several nights I found myself full of strange emotions. I was in a familiar place, yet in a different situation in entirely. I was with the man I loved very much, one who now would do anything within his power to keep me safe. I was no longer worried that he would get turned into a Strigoi and kill me or turn me into one myself. I was oddly surprised that there were plenty to do here that being cooped up in this castle was being not such a big deal after all. Dimitri and I decided that we would spend some of our days keeping up with our training. Neither of us wanted to be caught off guard if we had to defend ourselves against our common enemies. I had not yet heard or seen any of my other friends who helped me escaped and I wasn't about to jeopardize Lisa by going into her head and distracting her from whatever they were up to.

Dimitri finally gave me a kiss on the lips when we were settled in and gotten use to our surroundings. I think the location was affecting him as well. This was about several weeks after our first night staying at the dreaded castle. At first the kiss was ordinary, but then our animal instincts started taking over just as it did the night of the cabin. The only difference is that we did not make love just yet, probably because we were getting use to the idea of being back together after being a part. We both needed to mend our souls and our hearts to even begin to repair our relationship. This kiss was a start and it proved that we still had strong feelings for each other. That night, when I fell asleep in Dimitri's arms, Adrian and Lissa simultaneously came to me in my dreams. I guess Lissa finally figured out how to dream walk or Adrian's powers have grown. I wasn't about to ask but it was very night to seen them both. I haven't seen either of them in a long time.

"_Hi Liss, Hi Adrian, what's up? Didn't expect to see either of you so soon." _

"_Hey little Dhampir, I missed you so much. It's been horrible at the court with all that has been happening. They haven't assigned a queen just yet, and I have stopped several attempts for them to search for either of you." _

"_Hey Adrian, I am glad that your ok with me being with Dimitri, sorry that things had to be this way, I know how much you care about me and I know that you still love me and always will be but I am sure that you will find someone special. When this mess is all over I will always be your friend I promise." _

"_Thanks little Dhampir, I know it will be hard not being with you but I if I can't be with you as lovers I rather be with you as a good friend. Miss you, see you soon ok." _

"_See you soon."_

"_Hey Lisa why don't you take over from here I will just be in the background." _

"_Thanks Adrian." _

"_Hey rose, we have made some progress on finding my lost sibling and Christian, Eddy and I are expected to be there in the next several weeks and then Abe should be arriving shortly after that. We are working hard to clear your name so that you can go on with your life as anyway you choose. Anyway I miss you too. I will try and contact you this way as soon as I get more information. In the mean time just hang in there, everything should be ok soon." _

"_Thanks Liss." _ With that the dream faded into my own dreams, this time it was a peaceful one.

The next morning I woke up to Dimitri sleeping next to me. We were still cuddled next to each other. It was a nice feeling, a homey feeling. I was afraid to move from my current position and wake Dimitri up, but I was starving and needed to forage for some food. As soon as I moved Dimitri woke up.

"Hey Roza, did you sleep well"

"Hey comrade, I slept well thanks, I woke up because I was starving. Do you want to go eat something?" Dimitri gave me a kiss on the lips and despite how hungry I was I instantly forgot. We stayed their within each other's arms kissing until our hunger for food became too overwhelming and we had to stop kissing.

I got of first and then he followed me out the door. Since he had been here before he led the way to the kitchen. When we got to the kitchen I immediately felt nauseous, as well as started getting a huge headache. Dimitri didn't miss a thing, he immediately noticed my discomfort. The problem was that I didn't yet know the source of this discomfort. It could either be a bond connection and Lissa was in trouble, a ghost was about to appear or there was a Strigoi nearby. I was hoping that we wouldn't have to fight a Strigoi just yet, especially since I haven't eaten.

"_Roza, what's wrong." _

"_Dimitri, I am feeling really nauseous and starting to get a really bad headache. You know the one that I get when there is something terribly wrong about to happen, my very own warning sign." _

"_Roza, are there a Strigoi nearby." _

"_I am not sure yet, I haven't identified the source." _


	11. Chapter 11

I know I promised not to disturb Lissa but I just had to make sure that she was not the source of this alarm. I decided to enter her mind.

"_Hey Rose, I know you're here in my mind what's up." _

"_Sorry I forgot that you can now feel me and communicate to me this way._"

I didn't have to explain anything to her she had already probed my mind.

"_Everything is fine over here; we are making huge strides and should be there sooner than we originally thought. Are you ok, I can feel that you're not quite right." _

"_I am ok just a little worried that my source of nausea was happening on your end I just needed to make sure, now I have to go back to my reality to locate this source. Bye." _

"_Bye Rose, see you soon. Miss you." _

"_Miss you too." _

When I came back to my own head, Dimitri had a face of concern, he must have been asking me something or worried that Lissa was in trouble.

"_Lissa is fine, she is making some headway. Now I just have to fine the source of this warning and correct it as soon as possible."_

Just then the nausea and pain became so unbearable that I almost fainted literally. This happened once when I fought to Strigoi at once and let my ghost barriers down. I just hope that there weren't Strigoi around and that we would be out numbered.

"_Rose, I decided to enter your head to make sure that you are ok." _

"_Oh, I Liss, thanks_"

Just then a ghost materialized in front of me and I heard Liss scream. She knew I could see ghosts but she wasn't expecting to see it with her own eyes. It wasn't any ghost it was Queen Tatiana herself.

"_Hi Tatiana,_"

When she opened her mouth she addressed both Lissa and me, and told us to say hi to Dimitri who was concerned and confused at the same time, but he didn't move or react.

"_I have some important information for you concerning both Lissa and you. I am glad that you choose the people that can be trusted in this situation and that you were able to escape before being executed. I was afraid that with the acceleration of my funeral this would have gone quite different." _

Lissa and I both flinched at the execution idea; neither of us wants that to happen.

"_Tatiana, we are both listening," _

"_I can't yet tell you who killed me but what I can tell you is the killer is not who you think it will be. In fact it might very much surprise you. I am afraid if I tell you anything more about the killer you two would figure it out. When you do find out everyone will be upset. Anyway what I can tell you is that both of you must be very careful because there are enemies who are out to get the both of you. Be careful with who you talk to and who you tell information to. The ones that helped you escape are very trustworthy and will truly not stop until your name is cleared and your futures are restored. You will find people helping you guys that you thought were enemies in the beginning but will be on your side in the end. When you encounter those people Rose you are going to know that they will be ok to confide in. Lisa I want you to listen to Rose when she tells you to trust them ok. Do I make myself clear ."_

"_Yes very clear" "_

"_Good, and Lissa there is something that I have to tell you_."

"_Yes, Tatiana_"

"_My murderer is also on the trail to finding your lost sibling. That person was the same person who broke into the Alchemist Database files. My guess they were trying to sabotage your future as well. I was killed because I knew too much and tried to stop it. My warning to you is to be very careful and keep cautious and a watchful eye. Your best asset is to stay close to your current protectors until you reach Rose, and to continue to learn to fight and strengthen your magic. Good bye for now" _

_With_ that she faded away. I could tell that Lissa was still visiting my head; this is just a weird concept to me. Not use it.

"_I know rose get use to it, now that I can invade your mind. It was interesting to see Tatiana though. That I wasn't expecting. _

"_Welcome to my world_" 

"_Rose be careful ok it is my turn to take care of you so don't make any stupid mistakes and I will be fine."_

"_Thanks, I am just use to taking care of others so it's hard to let others take care of me. I will be ok, and although I will continually worry about you I know that you will be ok. See you soon."_ With that she left my mind and I immediately came back to reality.

I looked over to Dimitri, who was still concerned and worried, while he took me into his arms.

"_Roza, what happened? Do you still feel nauseous?_"

"No_ I feel fine, I was given a warning actually Lissa and I were given a warning from Tatiana herself. I guess my guards were down because I couldn't block her ghost from coming through my protective barriers." _

"_Roza, you must let Lissa know about the warnings" _

I started to laugh because this whole concept of her entering my mind and communicating to me this way was just so new to me.

"_Roza why are you laughing, this is serious." _

"_I know it's serious, I am laughing because she already knows what happened. She was with me the whole time with our bond." _

"_Oh, that's right she has that ability now." _

"_She has other abilities now too." _

"_Like what" _

"_well she can dream walk like Adrian, she may be able to enter other people's minds as well like the others can but she hasn't yet told me if that is currently possible. She is getting stronger. I think after saving you she decided to work harder with her magic and develop it more. I think she is getting better controlling the darkness, either that or both of us are handling it better. Anyway let's eat I know about you but I am starving." _

"_I am starving too. Glad that the darkness is being controlled better I remember the first time it took a hold of you. It wasn't pretty but at least the end result was good." _

"_We found our love. Anyway let's see what we could eat."_

I looked into the refrigerator to locate something to eat, but didn't find anything interesting, too bad I could not order Chinese food. Anyway I grabbed several pieces of pepperoni pizza loaded with cheese, several huge brownies, covered in thick creamy frosting. I looked over to Dimitri and he gave me a face.

"What…never mind."

I just realized the food I grabbed was the same meal I had eaten the last time I was here, the last time he was a Strigoi.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories for either of us."

"That's ok Roza, I was just not expecting you too eat this much food though."

"Hey I am hungry and you know I eat a lot."

"I know. It's just funny how much we have in common."

Just then he reached into the refrigerator and grabbed the same amount of food."

"You know Dimitri; I actually miss the food I had at your Childhood home when I stayed there. It was nice hearing stories about you. Just wish you were there with me.

"_Roza some day when your life is restored we could go visit my family, but until then we will have to just stay put. I miss them too. I am sure from my Grandmother they will be happy to see both of us." _

"_Your Grandmother is something else. I thought she hated me but she told me that I had to save you some way somehow." _

"_As much of a risk you took I am glad that you saved me. What kind of stories did you hear about me?" _

A smile came over my face and I gave him a kiss on the lips and told him "_I will let you know all about it some other time, for now let's eat."_


	12. Chapter 12

After we ate we decided to lie down and just talk for a while.

"Ok now that we have eaten tell me your experience with my family."

"Where do you want me to start?"

"Why don't you start from the beginning?"

"I will start from the beginning then. When I came to Russia I came across an alchemist named Sydney Sage, which you met briefly the other day. I killed several Strigoi and she just happened to be in the vicinity. That is actually how I learned about alchemist in the first place. I was startled at first when I watched her use a magic potion causing these Strigoi to dissolve. After they were disintegrated she insisted I eat dinner, after that she agreed to accompany me during my travels. I later learned that part of the reason why she came with me was because she was ordered by someone who hired her and the other reason is that she felt I was a liability. She would need to dispose of the Strigoi that I would inevitably kill. I took a train ride with her and then stayed at one of her contact's homes. While there I heard rustling in the barn and I went to investigate. Two Strigoi came out and tried to attack me. I was outnumbered and the Strigoi almost had the upper hand, but unfortunately I somehow conjured ghosts, which then proceeded to distract the two Strigoi giving me the opening to make my kills. Regrettably I was also injured in the process. Sydney disposed of the dead Strigoi and then called a moroi by the name of Ibrahim 'Abe' Mazur.

When I was injured I kept saying the name "Belikov", so Abe drove me to your mother, Olena Belikova thinking that I knew them when in fact I only knew you. Seeing that I was injured, Olena took me in the house and treated me for my injuries. The next morning I woke up and to my surprise I was in your family home and in your old room. I immediately was accepted into your home, and especially when they found out that I knew you. They had a memorial service for you because they considered you dead when you turned Strigoi. I got extremely drunk on Russian Vodka and then the next morning had a massive hang over but your Grandmother Yeva, who I thought hated me at first, wanted me to prove my worthiness to you. She made me carry bricks to for your neighbor Oksana and Mark's garden to prove my worthiness. When I proved that I could carry several pounds and travel many miles I was deemed worthy. She knew that you weren't dead and that I would save you somehow.

I immediately made friends with your sister Viktoria Belikova in the beginning; however we did not part in such great terms. In fact she asked me to get out of her house. Yeva told me to save you when I was chose to leave. There was this Mori named Roland; which I found out impregnated your sister Sonya, although didn't tell the family, wanted to use your sister Viktoria as well. Viktoria was mistakenly in love with him and thought that he loved her too when in fact he just wanted her for sex. I saw through his antics when he flirted with me. I chose to intervene because I didn't want her to get her feelings hurt. I made it so he would stay away from her, but regrettably she blamed me for his sudden disinterest and thought that I only did it because I wanted him, but in truth is I just cared for her as if she was my younger sister. I only hope in time she forgives me.

When I left I went rouge and killed many Strigoi, which you probably heard about being one yourself. After being kidnapped by you, and then escaped thinking you're dead. I soon passed out, only to be rescued again by Abe who took me to Oksana to be healed. There I found out that Lisa was in trouble. It turned out that Avery Lazar another spirit user wanted her to be shadow kissed to her. Anyway being in Russia I couldn't be there to save her in person. So with the help of Oksana I was able to invade Lisa's mind and take control of her body, ultimately frying Avery's brain along with the other two that were bonded with her. That is basically it. However I did love the bread that your mother made. She told me it was your favorite. The whole time I was there I wished you were there with me."

"I really do miss my family, and I intend to visit and communicate with them more often, now that I am no longer Strigoi. I made the mistake in the past not calling them or visiting them as often as I should have and look where it got me; but at least I get a second chance in making things right. My Grandma Yeva, is a crazy one, she seems to have the gift of foresight. She can be a little scary at times but she never misguided me. I especially want to visit her before she passes onto the next world. I am glad that you cared so much for my younger sister. I would have done the same thing if I found out that she was going to be used by a Mori. I think because you're not flesh and blood she felt it was in her right to be made and sever all ties with you. Had I done what you did, she would be pissed but she would have forgiven me more easily than you. I will talk with her and make sure she forgives you the next time I see you since you are my girlfriend and I plan on keeping you for a while."

"I sure hope it's for a while maybe even forever. So what do you want to do in the mean time? I am starting to get bored waiting around."

"I can think of a lot of things we can do but in the mean time I will settle for kissing you." With that we kissed until we found ourselves naked and then proceeded to make love the rest of the night.

Neither of us where aware that the following morning we would receive three visitors we never expected to see or hear from.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning we heard three distinctive knocks coming from the front door.

"I wonder who that could be. Lisa, and the gang are not due to be back for another couple of days and Sydney would have called first before showing up. Who knows that we are here besides those people? I am not feeling nauseous so no Strigoi are here except I seriously doubt there would be since they cannot go out in the daylight."

"There is only one way to find out who is at the door, and that is going to check it out."

I looked through the peephole and gasped. Trully not expecting to see these people.

"What is it Roza, who is at the door."

"You are not going to believe this, Sonya Karp, Robert Doru, Victor Dashkov are at the door. None of which are Strigoi."

"I vaguely recall, that Victor escaped prison and that it was him I saw with Robert in Vegas when I was tracking you. I was wondering what happened to him. Didn't know that Ms. Karp was no longer Strigoi though. Someone must have turned her back like I was turned back. Lets go see what they want."

"Hello Ms Karp, Robert and Victor what brings you here and how did you know that I was here in the first place. No one besides only my friends and my father knows I am here with Dimitri."

"Rest assured no one else knows that you are here, it was very hard to locate you; however you see, Sonya being a former Strigoi knew of Dimitri's former residency as a Strigoi only she didn't know that he was no longer Strigoi. When my brother Robert turned her back into a Mori, she agreed to take me here. I knew that Rose would be here if you were here. Don't worry the wards in place are still intact so no Strigoi should be able to come here unless the wards break; however you do have a lot of guards. We had to disguise ourselves so that we weren't recognized."

"ok but that doesn't explain why you are actually here."

"Well after being turned back, Sonya here wanted to reunite with her lover Mikhail, and Robert and I are here to help you."

"Well Mikhail misses you as well. He will be excited to see you. Please don't turn Strigoi again. It isn't worth it. Dimitri could help you seeing that he is recovering from it as well. As for you Victor how do I know if I can trust you?"

"Don't worry dear, after being turned back I no longer have the desire to be Strigoi again. I feel terrible about what I did as a Strigoi and I vow to make amends starting with being reunited with Mikhail."

"Your right you can't know if I can be trusted or not. Whatever the case maybe I want to help you as well as help Lisa. I need you to contact Lisa I know where her sister is located. She needs to find her before someone else does. Her sister is in danger. That is why I came here. After speaking with here I will be on my way with Robert, while Sonya stays with you."

"Fine I will communicate with Lisa. I am going to have to communicate through our bond, not via cell phone because they can be traced. She isn't suppose to know that I am here."

"I guess that will have to work. I was hoping to talk to her myself but oh-well."

I proceeded to go into Lisa's head.

"Hey Rose what's up."

"Well you wouldn't believe this but Sonya Karp is no longer a Strigoi. She, Victor and Robert showed up here and in fact they are still here."

"what do they want. I am not happy that you are there with Victor and two spirit users even if they may have good intentions."

"Don't worry Lisa. Ms. Karp apparently just wants to be reunited with Mikhail and has agreed to stay with us until we are freed to return home, and Victor and Robert tell me that they know where your sister is. They wanted to communicate with you in person but I told them you couldn't via phone."

"Ok Rose, why don't you leave my head so that I can enter yours and have victor communicate that way."

"ok."

I exit her head and return to mine.

"ok Lisa is about to enter my head and then from there you can talk to her. I will communicate her answers to you"

"ok."

"Hey Lisa."

"It's so surreal to see Ms. Karp again along with Victor and Robert."

"Tell me about it. Anyway down to business."

"Victor tell Lisa what you need to tell her."

"Ok Lisa, I want to inform you that your half sibling is Jill Mastrano. You see Eric your father had an affair with Emily Mastrano. The problem is that she may need some convincing. She doesn't really want anyone to know that Jill is actually a Dragomir. Now that you know this you can take your rightful place as queen."

"Hey Rose, tell Victor that I am not sure about becoming queen but having a place on the voting committee is what I really want."

"Victor Lisa doesn't want to become queen but likes the fact that she can now vote. However I feel that she would make a great queen."

"Thanks Rose."

"You have to become queen. The Mori community desperately needs someone like you. I was a greedy and vindictive when I kidnapped you and tried to torture you. You will make a difference and I would much rather have you become queen then due my bidding as my own personal healer. I am too far gone in my disease to be able to be healed anyway."

"Fine I will consider this. Thanks for helping me, even though I still can't really trust you. I am unsure of your actual motives."

"Lisa says she will consider this, and thanks for helping her even though she is still weary of your intentions."

"By Lisa." With that she left my head.

"Ok Victor now that you helped me you can leave. I too are kind of put off by your presence."

"I will leave; I was planning on turning myself in. I am too weak to continue on the run. Robert has agreed to state that he was the one that broke me out of prison."

Later that day we were informed that Victor in deed turned himself in and was sentenced to death along with Robert.

The gang is one step closer in getting Lisa's long lost sister and finding the true killer.


	14. Chapter 14

On the way to prison Robert used Compulsion to escape prison and death. The official word is that Robert fled and officially still at large. No one is bothering to look for him however because although he supposedly aided in Victor's escape—well technically he didn't I did, but no one knows that—he is not a murder and secondly I am still everyone's number one priority. They rather see me executed along with those that helped me escape than Richard.

Hopefully I will be freed soon and be able to come out of hiding. Maybe Richard won't be a problem. He wasn't before really. He was more of a recluse due to the effects of using spirit. Glad that Victor is getting his fate handed to him on a silver platter. Regardless of the fact that he helped me in the end it still doesn't excuse him for what he did. . He is a murder, and an evil man who was greedy enough to harm my best friend and charge in order to be cured of his disease.

Lisa and the rest of those that are free are currently located Emily and Jill Mastrano to inform them that Jill is Lisa's long lost sibling. I just hope that she will accept whatever Lisa proposes, so that she will become queen and I will be one step closer to being freed of all this non-sense and the real killer is exposed.

After both Dimitri and I had dinner we found ourselves in the castle's library.

While Dimitri is reading a western novel in the library I decided to jot down my ideas on potential suspects that could have murdered the queen and then try to rule them out.

Yes I am one of them, because not only I threatened the queen I despised some of her policies but I would never kill her. When I am free I need to work on my mouth so I won't get into trouble again. Ok so obviously that rules me out of being the killer, even with all the evidence that is currently pointing at me.

Next we have all those that were in favor of using moroi magic defensively. As I recall the queen publically seemed to be against the moroi public from using magic to defend themselves, but reluctantly allowed it after some persuasions. Those that were against the new age decree that the queen passed just before being murdered. Although I am one of those against this new law, like I said before I am no murderer. Those that were Jealous of the queen's power or someone with connected to the queen such as past lovers. Wonder if there was a lovers' quarrel that resulted in murder?

These suspects might be worth looking into, but unfortunately none of the above suspects explains why I was the one who was framed. It has to be someone that isn't too happy with me and chose to use the queen as the victim. That is the only thing that makes sense, since I wasn't the one who killed the queen.

That brings me to my latest list of suspects that were not actually seeking revenge for the queen but wanted to frame me for whatever reason. Ok who are my enemies? Well I have a lot of them. I have those that were against me dating Adrian since I was a dhampire and he is a Royal. Those that are disgusted with the way I live my life since it's a bit unorthodox. Those that were jealous of me, what I have achieved. And of course we cannot forget the Strigoi who apparently name me their worst enemy.

We can already rule out the idea of it being Strigoi because without the wards being broken they would not have been able to enter and the wards were never broken. The only ones that I am aware of showing any animosity towards me in regards to me dating Arian in the past as a potential motive for framing me as the murderer was the queen herself and her family but I really don't think they would kill their own flesh in blood in order to get me in trouble. That just doesn't make any sense. So that rules out those suspects. People were very vocal about my unorthodox ways of living but I also don't think that it would lead to framing me let alone killing the queen.

Then it has to be someone who was jealous of me for whatever reason. The only problem is that why would they murder the queen, why not someone else unless they also had some animosity towards the queen as well and felt that they could kill two birds with one stone by framing me, while murdering the queen. Ok so the jealousy aspect is still in but who also hated the queen. That needs further exploration and in order to do that I need to find out who had access to the queens chambers and more importantly who visited the queen that fateful day along with entering my room and taking my stake.

It had to be someone who also had the ability to use compulsion otherwise the guards would have witnessed the murder taken place. The only ones that can use compulsion that I am aware of are Spirit users, Strigoi and Tasha. There are not that many spirit users and several of them I consider good friends of mine. Unless there is an unknown spirit user roaming around the court that somehow hates me and the queen. It's not the Strigoi because I all ready ruled them out due to the wards. Then there is Tasha. Why would Tasha be a suspect she seemed innocent enough not to mention she is the aunt of my best friend's boyfriend. She couldn't be the killer could she? She appeared to always showed love towards me, at least I think she cared for me. Besides wouldn't she have turned Strigoi herself, the last I heard from her she was still Mori. I do find it strange that right after and just before the murder Tasha hasn't been around much, but I still don't want to think she is the killer. Ugh why does this have to be so difficult?

Ok so I am kind of limited on what I can accomplish from my hideout, I am going to have to have Adrian who is currently still at court conduct the investigation. He needs to do this stealthy in order to avoid suspicion. The last thing I need is him being implicated as a suspect in helping me escape. The next time he dream walks with me I will discuss this with him. He needs to find out who entered the queens chambers the night in question, see if the room has any hidden cameras that have not been discovered yet during the courts own investigation, and who witnessed comings and goings of those entering the building of my dormitory. Surely there had to have been someone who saw someone enter my room, even though they were not forthcoming of this information, either that or they were somehow bribed not to say anything in order to further frame me as the murderer.

Looks like I am done with my list, now I just have to wait to discuss things with Adrian.

"Hey Dimitri, do you want to go lay down on our bed for a while."

"I am kind of getting tired of just reading. There isn't much to do here except, eat, sleep, talk, make love to you, and read."

Dimitri and I went into bedroom and made love the rest of the night until we both drifted off to sleep.


	15. AN

I will update soon I promise. Just working on Twightlight Revamped for awhile. 


	16. AN2Sorry

I am having sort of a writers block for this story but I plan on updating soon.

-I was thinking of veering from the story a little bit and having Rose become pregnant. Both Dimitri and Rose have altered DNA, so it is quite possible. What do you guys think?

-I am then planning on having them find the lost sibling, Lisa becoming queen and then the killer is found and tried and then Rose and Dimitri are cleared. Does that sound like a good path. Let me know. I am not ready to give up on the story yet…

-While I am working on my other story Revamped I will continue to think about ideas for this story and check my reviews. If you have any suggestions for this story let me know and I will take them into account.

Thanks,

Sascha


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